He Looks Just Like You
by Masaia
Summary: The last delivery of the work day leaves Alec with a package of his own.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters don't belong to me…trust me it's a realization that I had the hardest time accepting (smiles).

Title: He Looks Just Like You

Rating: I have to rate it M just to be safe.

Author: Masaia (Messiah)

Summary: The last delivery of the work day leaves Alec with a package of his own.

**Reviews** are graciously accepted, no matter how harsh…but this is my first fic and I am very sensitive so please be nice…just playing if I suck or I'm not writing the characters in true form let me know. I know I hated reading the books…Max seemed so different from the show especially in Skin Games…anyway without further ado…..

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**Jam Pony**

"Hey rock star" Normal calls over to Alec who is at his locker having just turned in his signatures for the day. Groaning inwardly Alec turns and walks to the dispatch desk.

"What's up Normal buddy" he smiles.

"I need this delivered to this address" he tries to hand him a small gift wrapped package.

"No way Normal I'm off and I was just bout to head over to…"

"Come on Alec I really need this package delivered. Its personal and I don't trust your miscreant friends" he shoves the package at him. "You do this and I will owe you one".

"Fine, but don't forget you owe me" he takes the package and the address leaving out of Jam Pony.

**Sector Three**

Since the package was one of a personal nature Alec didn't need a signature so he was on his way over to Crash…but why Normal wanted a package delivered to girl that looked like a guy was enough to confuse him thoroughly.

'Normal has some serious issues' Alec thinks strolling down the street almost at his destination.

"There you are" a blond that Alec could definitely see himself on top of walks up to him. "You disappeared on me…one minute I'm the center of your universe and the next you're gone and I never hear from you again" she snaps.

'What is she talking about?' "Uh do I know you" Alec asks.

"Very funny dumbass" she rolls her eyes before shoving a tightly wrapped bundle into his chest. "Here you take him".

"Lady what are you talking about. I don't know you…"

"He's weird just like you Ben and I don't want him" she cuts him off. "And I can't take care of him" she sighs. "It's a good thing I ran into you. He was headed to the garbage".

"You were just gonna throw him away" Alec asks suddenly feeling very protective of the small bundle.

She shrugs. "Like I said, I don't want him and can't take care of him".

"Wait, what's his name?" Alec calls to her retreating back.

"Never gave him one…can't get attached to something you were just gonna throw away right? And just so you know the only reason I kept him alive so long was because I thought you were coming back. How stupid was that?" she turns leaving Alec holding the bundle. Looking down he unwraps the bundle revealing a three month old baby boy. With familiar hazel green eyes staring up at him he panics.

"We gotta find Max" he wraps the baby back up heading to Crash knowing she'll be there.

**Crash**

Max is sitting around a table with OC laughing at Sketchy who is doing his best impersonation of Normal.

'She looks relaxed, maybe she won't be too pissed' he thinks approaching cautiously.

"Hey baby boo you just missed this drunken fool do a great impersonation of Mr. Bip bip himself" she laughs but Alec is tense and speaks directly to Max.

"We need to talk" he says seriously, and Max is immediately alert following him away from the table but not before sending Cindy an 'I'll explain later' glance.

"What is it? I was actually relaxed and enjoying myself without having to deal with you screw ups" Max snaps. 'For once" she thinks.

"Look I didn't do anything" he snaps back to hide the fact that her words had hurt.

"Well" she waits impatiently and he pulls the bundle away from his body so she can see. Unwrapping it slightly Max looks into the hazel green eyes that piss her off almost every second of the day. "You didn't?" she looks back up at him.

"I…"

"You weren't that stupid" she cuts him off.

"If you're done" he says adjusting the bundle against his body. "He's not mine. I was doing a run for Normal, which remind me to tell you about that later, when this girl shoves him at me. Do the math Max he's three months. There is no way he could be mine."

"He looks just like you" she retorts then instantly realizes. 'He's Ben's'. "Lets get outta here" she grabs her jacket telling OC she'll see her later before she leaves with Alec.

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So there's the first chapter, let me know what you all think.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters don't belong to me…trust me it's a realization that I had the hardest time accepting (smiles).

Title: He Looks Just Like You

Rating: I have to rate it M just to be safe.

Author: Masaia (Messiah)

Summary: The last delivery of the work day leaves Alec with a package of his own.

**Reviews** are graciously accepted, no matter how harsh…but this is my first fic and I am very sensitive so please be nice…just playing if I suck or I'm not writing the characters in true form let me know. I know I hated reading the books…Max seemed so different from the show especially in Skin Games…anyway without further ado…..

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**Alec's Apartment**

"Go over it again for me" Max stands in the middle of his living room chewing on her lower lip lightly as if she is trying to desperately wrap her mind around what's happening.

"Max…" Alec sighs sympathetically "I explained it six times on the walk over here. No matter how many times you hear it…its not gonna change anything, he's here and we have to deal with it". And as if on cue the baby cries out, albeit a little muffled since Alec still has him wrapped up. "Maybe we should unwrap him" he tries to smile to lighten the mood, but his attempt fails as Max remains rooted in her spot in her own world.

'Ben I can't carry you' Max replays the final moments of her favorite brother's life in her head, her face contorting in pain and sorrow. 'I'm so sorry Ben' she wraps her arms around herself as if the act will bring warmth to her suddenly bitter body.

"Max…Max" Alec calls her trying to get her attention and snap her out of whatever reverie she is in. "Max" he places a hand on her shoulder effectively snapping her back to reality.

"I killed him" she startles him with both her words and the distant look in her eyes, a look that he knows all too well. She may have run away from Manticore, but she was still a master at masking her emotions, and Alec had to admit it wasn't a look he enjoyed seeing her wear.

"Killed who Maxie" he uses her nickname to allure her away from shutting down completely.

"We were in the woods…we had just got done fighting…his leg was broken and Manticore was moving in" she continues, her emotions finally breaking threw as tears fall longly down her face. Alec listens, face showing trace amounts of remorse, his senses having picked up that she was referring to Ben.

'How can I feel sorry for a guy that was the cause of so much of my suffering? Hell because of him I had to go to psy-ops… twice' Alec thinks incredulously while Max pours her heart out to him.

"He was my brother and I killed him…he asked me to so I did" she cries harder, her tears running onto her neck "and then I just ran and left him there for them to take his body" she closes her eyes as if the act will alter her reality.

'That's how' Alec answers his own question looking at the pained expression on Max's face. Even though he considered himself a pretty damn good solider that was unaffected by phony sentimentality, he absolutely hated seeing Max hurt, even if he absolutely refused to admit that out loud. She had a way of doing that too him…making him care. Finally finding his voice, he speaks softly knowing that his words won't change anything she is feeling "Max I'm sorry".

Unaffected by his words she continues to let her tears fall, the baby having forced her to deal with the loss of her brother and the guilt that came with it since she was the reason he wasn't alive, an act that she had desperately tried to avoid ever since she met Alec.

"How weak am I?" she asks rhetorically remembering the deaths of Eva, Ben, Tinga, and Zack…deaths that she blames herself for.

"You're not weak" he watches her as she walks to his couch and puts her head in her hands.

"I cant believe I told you" she says once he sits next to her, her face still stained with tears and Alec remains quiet knowing that she just needs time to vent her frustrations and sorrow to somebody. 'I couldn't even tell Logan' she thinks getting more comfortable on his couch, sitting back pressing her back against his surprisingly soft pillows. Whether it was the pillows or her finally talking about Ben's death, she comes down from her temporary loss of control, cracking a small smile as she watches the baby squirm restless in Alec's arms. 'He looks uncomfortable' she thinks warmly. Reaching with apprehensive yet careful hands she grabs the tiny infant from him, holding him to her where he immediately calms down nuzzling into her.

"Sure, he calms down now…I guess I just don't have the means to properly cradle him" he teases pointedly looking at her chest where the baby looks quite comfortable, but Max is once again lost in her own world, lightly rubbing her nephew's back so that he stays relaxed...or was it so she stayed relaxed.

"Whenever I couldn't sleep or something had scared me, Ben would let me sleep with him" she breaks the silence and Alec sits back, fully intending to listen attentively this time "or he would make up these incredible stories to explain why things were the way they were. He always had a way of making me feel safe. There was nothing he wouldn't protect me from…even the Nomalies" she laughs slightly remembering her brother's protectiveness and Alec can't help but smile.

'She's feeling better…but what are we gonna do about the kid. I guess it can wait til later' he decides that's its best to give her some time to grieve. "Tell me about them" he asks catching her off guard.

After a slight pause she begins, a smile playing across her lips. "There were fifteen of us. Zack was our CO with Eva as our SIC… she was always arguing with Zack that he was too hard on us but he never listened. Then there was Tinga, she was the mother of the group, always babying us…well especially me since I was actually the baby" she lets out a small laugh "oh and Jondy…she was the crazy one always testing Lydecker…"she continues on into the night mesmerizing Alec with the stories of her siblings and their antics stopping only when she hears not one but two sets of light snoring.

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I had a hard time writing this chapter. I decided to have Max tell Alec right away about Ben instead of later because I needed them to have something to build a friendly relationship on since he is going to have to be apart of the baby's life seeing as he looks just like him…and Max being Max isn't going to abandon her nephew. I don't think it's too far fetched that she just opened up to him instead of OC or Logan because in HG she opened up to him pretty easily…and if it worked on the show I'm hoping it can work here (smiles). Please review .


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters don't belong to me…trust me it's a realization that I had the hardest time accepting (smiles).

Title: He Looks Just Like You

Rating: I have to rate it M just to be safe.

Author: Masaia (Messiah)

Summary: The last delivery of the work day leaves Alec with a package of his own.

**Author Note:**From now on the thoughts of the characters will be in italics to make for easier reading. Sorry for not thinking of that sooner (duh), but thanks for the advice from all that suggested it to me. And in this chapter Max is having a conversation with herself inside her head, so Max's inner self will be in **bold. **Hope it's not too confusing.

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With both Alec and the baby asleep, Max is left alone in her thoughts, her world now a confused haze.

'_**Come on Max get a hold of yourself. You've been searching for your family for years, and now you've found your brothers baby. This should be a joyous occasion. What are you scared of? You loved Ben, but you had to kill him…'**_

'_I didn't have to, I could've tried to run with him' she argues with herself._

'**_Max this is me your talking to' her inner self retorts 'You know you would've been caught and sent back to the very place you've spent the last ten years running from. Ben knew that, he didn't want to go back there, and you for damn sure know he didn't want you to get captured on his account.'_**

'_I was a coward. He would have died fighting Lydecker and his men if the roles were reversed. How come I didn't do the same?'_

'**_You're not a coward Max. Ben knew what he was doing. Remember how he always joked that he was the smart one and always knew what was best?'_**

'_Yeah and boy did that annoy the hell outta Jace' Max laughs remembering how pissed Jace would be when he teased her. 'but that doesn't change the fact that I killed my brother' her mood switches back to guilt._

'_**Damn it Max, you are always so stubborn. I know he was your brother, and I know that you loved him…love him. I'll ask you again, what are you so scared of?'**_

'_What if…'she tries to bring herself ask the question 'what if he…' she stops herself, unable to ask the question in which she is terrified of the answer. _

'_**What if he hates you?' her inner self asks sympathetically. **_

_Letting the tears that had been threatening to fall, roll down her face she answers 'yes' with a heavy heart._

'**_Ben loves you Max' her inner self says softly. 'You were…his little Maxie. Remember how he would hold you when you got your seizures, make shadow puppets for you when you couldn't sleep even though he needed sleep, or how he would push you behind him when Zack yelled at you… then Zack would yell that he was making you soft' _**

'_And what did I do in return…I killed him'_

'_**You saved him Max…saved him from a life that he didn't want.'**_

'_I'm his murderer' Max retorts stubbornly._

'_**You're his angel.'**_

'_I can't believe that. I killed the person that I spent the most time looking for after the escape…the same person that would have laid his life down for me in a heart beat. I'm not his angel… I betrayed him!'_

'**_Max are you forgetting that he asked you to do it?'_**

'_I could've said no. I could've fought for my brother…I could've…' more tears fall._

'_**You saved him Max.'**_

'_I could've done more…'she sobs quietly '…I should've told him I loved him.'_

'_**He knows Max…he knows.'**_

'_Ben is dead… he's not coming back…and it's my fault…all my fault. How many of my brothers and sisters have to die because of me?'_

'**_It's not your fault Max…it's not your fault' her inner self repeats over and over softly until her body gives in to the trauma of the days events…slowly slipping into forced slumber, but not before her arms wrap instinctively around the baby as if to ward off any harm._**

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So there's chapter three. I thought it best to let you guys know more in detail what was going on in Max's head. During the show I thought they never really went into detail about her feeling toward the way Ben died. Anyway, let me know what you guys think. Should I continue on?


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters don't belong to me…trust me it's a realization that I had the hardest time accepting (smiles).

Title: He Looks Just Like You

Rated T

Author: Masaia (Messiah)

Summary: The last delivery of the work day leaves Alec with a package of his own.

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A day ago the thought of Max, Alec, and a baby asleep on a couch would have sent both of them into hysterical fits of laughter, but that was before Alec dropped one of the biggest bombshells of Max's life on her, telling her that Brother Ben was a busy guy while he was out, having slept with a some strange girl one night, and the product of that night was in his hands. To say that Max was floored is one way of putting it…the news really put a damper on her trying to avoid the feelings of guilt when it came to Ben, forcing her to deal with it whether she wanted to or not. Max can admit that she has a reputation for running…but this is one situation that she wouldn't run from. She would raise her brother's son as her own and give herself to him completely, even if that meant restructuring her life completely. She would do it for her brother…she owed him at least that….

"Bout time you woke up" Max says softly to Alec who's eyes just fluttered open.

"You talking to me?" Alec looks utterly confused at the softness in her voice. _'I don't think I've ever heard her voice that soft before.'_

"Don't look so confused Alec…it doesn't suit you" she smiles at his confused sleep ridden face. "The baby's still sleep otherwise I would have woken you up with a customary slap to the head."

"Ah, there's the Max I know" he smiles getting off the couch to stretch his sore muscles.

"To be a X5 you really do sleep hard" Max smiles. Having shark DNA she woke up hours ago, and in that time she just watched her nephew sleep all the while Alec was snoring away. "You snore" she accuses a small smile tugging her lips.

"I do not" he smirks at her.

"Well I guess all that snoring came from him" Max's words bring Alec's attention to the baby. When he woke up he was so shocked that Max was the first face he saw that he hadn't even noticed the baby.

"I guess" he smiles going into the kitchen grabbing two grape sodas before flopping down on the couch effectively waking the baby. At Max's glare he shrugs. "If I had to be woke this early on a Saturday then he should be woke too."

"Ass" she slaps him in the head.

"You know I expected you to do that" he smiles "and since you're not being nice, you can't have any soda."

Rolling her eyes she slaps him again, but this time with less force and a smile on her lips.

"Do you always have to be so immature?"

"Hey I'm a guy…and you know they say we mature slower than girls. Besides it's fun, and it got you to smile."

The baby squirms in Max's arms making her look down at him. "Morning" she smiles at him and he gurgles happily. At that moment Alec would have bet his life that Max's heart melted as the baby smiled back at her…there was no Manticore mask to void emotion from her face…her eyes were shining and she had a genuine smile on, not the forced smile she often wears while dealing with people… but a real smile… and for the first time Alec saw happy, at peace with the world Max.

"You're keeping him."

It was a statement not a question.

"I couldn't give him up." Max looks up at him "He's my nephew and doesn't have anybody."

"Logan could easily find a home for a baby…you know he would be taken care of. And don't look at me like that" he smiles at her shocked face. It was a running joke between the two of them that Logan was always shipping America's finest to Canada. Alec was convinced that Logan secretly hated America. "I just wanted all options in the open."

"Options aside" she recovers from his previous comments "I'm going to keep him. He needs to be raised by someone who knows what he's capable of. Anyway, there is no way I could stay sane knowing that he was somewhere where Ames could get him. He wouldn't have the proper protection and…."

"Hold up Max, you don't have to explain" Alec stops her "he's family, I get it."

At her slightly confused look he continues "I'm not as selfish as you think. The one good thing Manticore taught us was never abandon your unit. You told me that remember."

'_He's changed since we escaped.'_

"Now don't think I'm going soft" he smirks "a baby is a chick magnet."

'_Smart ass, always cracking jokes.' _"Leave it to you to find a way to turn the entire situation into you getting laid more" she smiles at his light hearted nature. "He's not going anywhere near your little bimbo's."

"Fine" he sighs dramatically "It's not like my good looks aren't enough anyway."

"Anyway Adonis, while you were snoring away I was thinking. He looks just like you and since I'm keeping him people are going to wonder why that is. So I figured we tell them that he's your nephew and my god son. That'll explain why I'm so involved in the baby's life without raising any suspicions."

"So what's the entire story, why are we raising him?"

Max didn't miss the **we **in his sentence but didn't acknowledge it either. With a Manticore mask in place so that she is unaffected by the story she explains to him that they are going to tell everyone that his identical twin Ben and his wife were killed in a car accident effectively leaving their baby to Max, who went to the same military academy as Ben, and is also the baby's god mother.

"It's believable Max…and I don't think we have to worry about his real mother coming back into the picture" he says thoughtfully. "Huh…you know I never thought I'd be saying this, but I really did not like that woman."

"And I never thought I'd be saying that someone on the outside was just as bad as the people in Manticore. I can't believe she was just gonna throw him away. If I ever get my hands on her she's gonna be hanging off a ten story building" she huffs.

"You know…" Alec pauses for effect "this situation is very important and I'm all for deciding this little guys fate…but I cant take your morning breath anymore" he gets up pulling a sniggling Max and the baby up with him "I have a extra toothbrush you can use it. We'll brush our teeth…then come back and discuss how two of Manticore's finest are going to tackle raising a three month old in a broken world."

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Sorry it took so long, I'll try to update sooner. But let me know what you all think. Oh…and I'm open to name suggestions for the baby. I've been putting off naming him because I really can't come up a good one that fits this story. Anyway hope you like it and let me know what you think.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Dark Angel and its characters don't belong to me…trust me it's a realization that I had the

hardest time accepting (smiles).

Title: He Looks Just Like You

Rating: I have to rate it M just to be safe.

Author: Masaia (Messiah)

Summary: The last delivery of the work day leaves Alec with a package of his own.

**Reviews** are graciously accepted, no matter how harsh…but this is my first fic and I am very sensitive so please be nice…just playing if I suck or I'm not writing the characters in true form let me know. I know I hated reading the books…Max seemed so different from the show especially in Skin Games…anyway without further ado…..

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"How stupid can you be Alec" Logan hears Max's voice as the two transgenics walk into his penthouse.

"It wasn't my fault Max" Logan hears Alec's irritated retort.

"You tried to feed him pizza…cold pizza at that. He's a baby."

"Well what did you want me to do? He was crying and hungry and you weren't around. I panicked. I'm a super soldier not a nanny."

"Alec you act like I was miles away. I was in the bathroom."

Logan watches in complete shock as they continue arguing walking straight past him into the living room. Two things struck him as odd. One Alec and Max were at his house at eight am on a Saturday morning, and two Max was holding a baby.

"Uh guys" Logan tries to get their attention swiveling in his computer chair to face them.

Getting in between Alec and Max when they were arguing was close to impossible. They were both stubborn, and Max had a temper that he wanted no part of, but letting them seat there argue wasn't helping.

"Max, Alec, what are you two doing here, and who's the baby?"

"We can explain" Max turns to him "but first we have to find something for him to eat. He's quiet now, but trust me the kid has some strong lungs."

"So great Eyes Only, where can we score some baby things. You know, bottles, diapers, food. We had to walk here and didn't exactly pass places where we could find it."

"It's not rocket science Alec" Max interrupts "Logan can you find out what sector we can get him some food and diapers. He's pretty hungry and I'm sure he needs to be changed."

"Alright" Logan turns back to his computer "Just give me a minute."

It wasn't Max's first choice to just show up at Logan's but her and Alec had no idea where to get baby necessities and walking from sector to sector was not an option, so she finally conceded to Alec's idea to go to Logan for help.

"Sector nine is the only place. You can get him whatever he needs there."

"One more thing Log-boy, we kinda need a ride. Me and Max both have motorcycles and their not exactly ideal for transporting a baby" Alec claps Logan on the back.

"I'll give you two a ride, but you two have some explaining to do" Logan says to them.

They were already heading out toward the car.

Logan sighs. _This can't be good._

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**Sector nine**

"You're saying that he is Ben's, and that a stranger spotted Alec, mistook him for Ben and gave him the baby?" Logan asks Max trying to wrap his mind around it all.

"Yes" comes Max's reply.

"And all of this happened last night?"

"Yes" Max replies again.

"I don't know Max that sounds pretty far fetched."

"Logan you should know by now that nothing is far fetched" she sighs looking out the window waiting for Alec.

He had gone into the store twenty minutes ago.

'_If he doesn't get back before he starts crying I'm gonna kick his ass' _Max thinks distractedly.

"Max" Logan gets her attention.

"Huh?"

"I said we need to find Ben. Did he leave you a contact number?"

For a moment she looked shocked. Ben was dead. Murdered by her hand, but Logan didn't know that. She never told anybody what happened but Alec. And when Logan asked what happened, she told him that he wouldn't be hurting anyone anymore. She hadn't lied to him, she just never told him the entire truth. Logan tried to argue with her, Ben was a psychopath, but something in her eyes told him to leave it alone. He accepted her word and Ben was never brought up again, until now.

"That's not an option" she shakes her head looking down at the baby. "For now he's my responsibility."

The baby squirms and starts to whimper. She could understand. He was wet and hungry, and if he was anything like his father he wasn't happy. Ben loved to eat and if he missed a meal he was one mad transgenic. The whimpering turned into a full blown cry that had Logan cringing.

"I'm gonna go find Alec" he scampers out of the car and into the store.

Max was left alone with baby not that she cared, but she would be happy when she could change him and feed him. The last twenty four hours couldn't have been easy on him either.

"Shhh, its ok. Uncle Alec is a dumbass but I'm sure he'll be here any minute."

On cue Alec and Logan return to the car.

"Ok here" he shoves the bags at her.

"What am I gonna do with a bag?" she rolls her eyes. "Hand me a diaper so I can change him" she orders.

Once the baby was changed, which took about three minutes because Max was a genetically engineered weapon that had no idea on how to change a diaper.

"There" she says triumphantly while Alec hands her a freshly made bottle.

"Why are you so proud, Logan had to tell you how to do it" Alec says wisely.

The smack that was heard was expected, but the soft croon as she feed the baby was not.

"Here you go sweetie" Max smiles at the now content baby.

Logan starts the car and heads out, while Alec watches the tender moment between Max and the baby. The baby was holding her pinky sucking away on his expensive bottle and Max was absently stroking the little boy's fist. By the time the pulled back up to Logan's penthouse the baby was asleep.

Alec grabs the bags and Max gingerly gets out of the car so she doesn't wake the baby. They all headed up to the penthouse. They didn't know why, it just seemed like the thing to do. Max lays the baby on Logan's bed and the baby stirs but she caresses his hair to sooth him back to sleep before going back into the living room with Alec and Logan.

Logan is the first to speak, while both Max and Alec sit on the couch wondering how they were gonna handle a baby in a broken world where the government is hunting them down like animals.

"So, Ben is not an option. What are you going to do with him?"

His question was directed at Max, but Alec answered.

"What do you mean, what are we going to do with him?"

"Do you two plan on keeping him?"

Logan was talking about the baby like he was a dog. Max didn't like it one bit and neither did Alec by the way he responded.

"He's not a puppy Logan."

"Clearly I see that Alec. I'm saying, there are plenty of people who would adopt a baby. He doesn't have a bar code and I have friends in Vancouver that are looking to adopt. I could…"

"We're not sending him away to Canada" Max interrupts him "And shut up Alec" she cuts off his undoubtedly smart ass comment.

Alec simply smirked at Max with an I told you so look. Her lips quirked with amusement but Logan's next statement ruined all humor.

"You can't keep him."

"Excuse me" Max looks at him like he sprouted to heads. "I forgot the part where I asked your permission. He stays Logan. We aren't sending him away like he never existed."

"Look Max. I know how you feel about family…"

"Then you should know that I am not about to abandon my nephew."

"Max be logical. You are being hunted. This is a chance for him to have a normal life."

Alec just sat back and watched. Max may have had a soft spot for Logan but she wasn't a pushover where he was concerned. When she believed in something she was passionate about it, and that often meant that she yelled to get her point across.

"He may not have a barcode, but he's not normal Logan. He has transgenic blood. He'll beginning to walk and talk in a few months. He'll be advanced at everything, faster and stronger than everyone around him. How will his adoptive parents be able to explain that to people, how will they be able to explain it to him?"

"I know you loved Ben Max, but you sent Case away."

Max was furious but she remained calm.

"Case had his father to look after him, this baby doesn't have anybody. Me and Alec are all he has."

"What does Alec have to do with it?"

"We don't abandon our unit Logan" Alec pipes up.

Logan looks skeptical and Max continues. "Ben and Alec are twins."

"Clones" Alec corrects.

"Whatever" Max rolls her eyes.

Understanding finally reaches Logan, whether it was from getting why Alec was so involved with the baby or why Max put up with his crazy selfish antics, remained to be seen.

"We're going to take care of him. We're not sending him away. Trust us Logan, we know how dangerous it is. It makes us more vulnerable, but we're his best chance at survival."

"Ok Max" he answers. "You're going to need help. Let me know what I can do."

"I'm glad you asked buddy we're going to need papers for him" Alec smiles.

Logan takes a seat at his computer. "Ok, what's his name?"

Alec looks at Max, who looks deep in thought, then he pipes up "Shiloh."

"Shiloh?" Max asks.

She didn't laugh or yell at him for taking the liberty of offering a name. She simply asked him a question. It was so un-Max like.

"It means his gift in Hebrew" Alec says with a shrug or his shoulder.

"Shiloh" Max tries the name out, then smiles. "It's perfect. His name is Shiloh Benjamin McDowell."


End file.
